Daredevil in drabbles
by Eledhwen
Summary: Three seasons. 39 episodes. 100 words per episode. This is Daredevil, in drabbles.
1. Season 1

**SEASON 1**

**Into the Ring**

She's at rock bottom when they walk in. They're young and their suits are clean but hardly bespoke. Yet they carry themselves with a certain confidence that reassures her, and it's not long until she gives in and starts trusting them.

She likes the blond one first. He's warm and genuine, just the type you'd want on your side if you needed a lawyer.

There's something in the way the blind one turns to her which unnerves her, but there's also something in his voice which says he believes her. He will fight for her. For now, that will do.

**Cut Man**

"I enjoy this," the man in black says, dangling a police officer over the edge of her building.

Claire, her breath hot underneath the ripped-up t-shirt she is wearing as a mask, can't work out if he's telling the truth or not. She can't read much from this guy, apart from an unbelievable capacity to deal with pain. Her training tells her he's definitely blind, but the way he moves is far beyond any visually-impaired person she's ever met.

She tells him she doesn't believe that he gets a kick out of this, but she's far from certain she's right.

**Rabbit in a Snow Storm**

If he were honest, Wesley thought hiring Nelson & Murdock would be easier. He had expected them to jump straight at the check – and if it had just been Nelson, there would have been no hesitation. Murdock is tougher to read and all Wesley gets from him is mild distrust.

Of course they go for it, in the end. Any firm starting out would take a job with that much money at stake. What surprises Wesley more is the skilled defence they give Healey. Nelson's opening is eloquent; Murdock's closing is inspired. These two are far from just ambulance chasers.

**In the Blood**

Vanessa has had many propositions from customers over the years. Some she has accepted, some she has spurned.

Approaches from richer, older men are hardly new, but there's something different about Wilson Fisk. He's shy, for a start. Most of those with the obvious wealth he has (the understated, perfectly cut suit, the way he bought _Rabbit in a Snowstorm_ without hesitation) are confident with it, but he seems ill at ease.

He's fascinating, but when their dinner date comes to an abrupt end and he hurries her out, she can't decide whether she's fascinated enough to risk another meeting.

**World on Fire**

Matthew's fingers on her back are achingly gentle as he probes the cuts and tells her she has a hairline rib fracture. She hadn't been sure, herself, and she can't believe that he can hear a bone shift or taste fresh blood on the air.

She's not quite sure what she's doing here, with a man who's still more than half a stranger, and of whom she's still more than a little scared. But she knows when he leans in to kiss her that the fear and fascination could shift in a moment to more. And that's scarier than anything.

**Condemned**

For a few moments Matt thinks about actually surrendering. Time seems to slow, as the police keep yelling. At his feet, Vladimir's breathing is heavy and his heart racing.

He focuses in. Steps slowly across Vladimir's body. Kneels, hands above his head; the handcuffs snap on. Breathes. And moves.

In the days of training, they tried this once or twice. Stick would tie his hands together and he'd have to escape the bonds. Muscle memory with a dash of desperation does the trick, and he's free before the police have a clue what's hit them, and away before they wake.

**Stick**

Twenty damn years he's had that bracelet in his pocket. Twenty years, and now it's gone, after a ridiculous fight with the kid. Stick puts his hand in his pocket, wiggles it around: no, there's definitely no hole, and it's definitely gone.

He's sure Matty will find it. Despite himself, he's impressed with what the boy's achieved. Wherever he trained, he lost none of the promise he had as a kid.

The morals remain an issue, but Stick knows that seeking to rid Matty of them is pointless.

He puts his hand in his empty pocket. Time to stop trying.

**Shadows in the Glass**

The perfect omelette, by Wilson Fisk:

Preparation is key. Chop your herbs, have salt and pepper ready, and ensure the pan is hot.

Crack two eggs in a bowl. Add a splash of milk, and whisk well. Melt your butter and pour in the eggs. They must cook quickly, but not too quickly. Toss the omelette to ensure it is slightly brown on both sides. Fold it and slip it on to a plate.

Eat warm, with fresh bread, and season to taste.

Extra pleasure may be found by sharing your breakfast with someone else, if she can be found.

**Speak of the Devil**

When Elena Pérez was young, she dreamed of a better life in a place that was not Guatemala City.

She arrived in New York City aged 22, with only a couple of cousins' addresses to fall back on. She found work, met Juan Cardenas, and married. They tried several times for children, but after three miscarriages the doctors told Elena to stop.

Juan died early, and Elena lived alone, her life zeroing in on the tenement. She had friends and hobbies, but her home was her safety net. She once said she would never leave it alive; she was right.

**Nelson v. Murdock**

He watches as Claire patches Matt up, and tries to ask her questions which she won't answer. When she goes, Foggy is left with the bloody and beaten body of his best friend.

The day is agony. Agony because nothing that Matt says helps. He apologises, but Foggy's not sure what his friend is apologising for. For lying? For being the Devil? For not wanting to give up the madness?

As the night falls Foggy leaves, knowing Matt won't be able to follow and being glad of it. The dream has died, and it hurts more than he's ever known.

**The Path of the Righteous**

Weeks earlier, Matthew Murdock had asked Father Lantom if he believed in the Devil, and the priest had spoken true. At the time he had not been sure if it had helped Matthew; now, looking at the broken figure before him, Father Lantom is pretty sure it had not.

He'd read the stories about the masked man, and he'd heard from parishioners who had been saved from muggings by him. Murdock seems convinced the Devil himself is driving his actions. As he looks into red lenses, Lantom hopes he can persuade Matthew of his own belief. This is God's work.

**The Ones We Leave Behind**

Ben Urich had never wanted to be anything other than a journalist. He started out as a cub reporter on a local freesheet, scouring the streets for gossip which could turn into stories. He moved to the Bulletin a year later; did his share of door-knocking and hanging around outside courthouses and council chambers waiting for that brief moment where a statement could be forthcoming.

He always had a nose for a story, and when one came along there was nobody better than Ben to pursue it to its end.

Ben Urich died as he had lived: as a truth-seeker.

**Daredevil**

The suit feels good. It fits perfectly – Melvin has done his work well. It flexes where it needs to flex, yet the protective material has the strength he needs to stop what must be stopped.

Matt feels the two little horns with amusement. Might as well feed the myth, after all. A little extra fear in the heart of a criminal would hardly do his cause any harm.

With a smile, he puts on the cowl, and jumps. The man in the black mask is gone. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen has stepped aside, and in his place is Daredevil.


	2. Season 2

**SEASON 2**

**Bang**

This is the best they've ever been. The office is humming with hope as clients flock for the help they believe Nelson & Murdock can supply. There's food on the table and in the heatwave they have plenty of electric fans. The firm might not be overflowing with cash, but Karen believes Matt when he assures her they'll get through it.

Some days, she even forgets her grief over Ben and Elena, and her guilt over Wesley. Now that Foggy and Matt are not just talking again, but laughing again, it's easy to think that they will last for ever.

**Dogs to a Gunfight**

The silence is deafening. He's so used to the noise of the city that to hear nothing is terrifying. He can put his hand to his heart and feel the beat, skittery and panicky, but for the first time in years he can't hear it.

He's aware that he's screaming, but he can't hear his voice. He can't hear the neighbours' TVs or music. He can't hear the traffic, or the buzz of the billboard opposite, or his dripping tap.

For the first time since he woke from the accident which blinded him, Matt Murdock is truly blind, completely helpless.

**New York's Finest**

There's a dozen of them in the stairwell. Big guys, used to fighting. There's nothing to do except keep moving.

He stops thinking about anything except the flow. The chain in the left hand, whipping round from one man to the next. His right hand unwieldy with the gun taped to it, but the metal adding extra heft for each punch or swipe.

They come from above, below, in front, behind. He takes them all out. There's a blessed pause, just before the ground floor, where he can breathe, regroup and refocus.

Three more to deal with. He keeps moving.

**Penny and Dime**

Frank's been full of rage for so long, that there's a certain peace to leaning his back against a gravestone and just talking. Talking is taking his mind off the pain in his foot and his side and his arms.

Red, for all his moral do-goodness, proves to be a good listener. He asks just the right questions to make you want to talk. And so Frank finds himself talking about Lisa's ridiculous book. _One Batch, Two Batch_; how she'd loved it. The memories those words hold are now something to cradle to himself, in memory of those he'd lost.

**Kinbaku**

They were electric. Elektra had taken on Matthew Murdock as a task, because Stick had asked her to, but it hadn't taken long for her to realise she was carrying on because she wanted to. Because she wanted him.

He was clever, and hot, and he could fight – like nobody she'd met since Stick. They sparred in the ring at Fogwell's, and fucked in the ring and at her place and in the bathrooms at clubs. He knew just where and how to touch her to make her wild. They sparked, and when he walked out, she felt dead inside.

**Regrets Only**

He's half-asleep when they walk in. Two suits and a skinny cute chick. One of the suits is wearing a pair of shades and carrying a cane, but there's something naggingly familiar about his voice. If Frank closes his eyes, he almost sounds like the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

But that's ridiculous, right? This is a blind lawyer, words rolling smooth off an educated tongue. There's none of Red's visceral anger in that voice, and even when the chick pulls out that picture Murdock is calm and collected.

There's no way Matthew Murdock and Daredevil are the same person. Right?

**Semper Fidelis**

When Matt missed his opening, Foggy tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he'd been knocked on the head again, or something. But Matt was weirdly evasive about it, and now Foggy knows why.

Elektra. He'd never liked her. Spoilt little rich girl, who didn't need a degree and seemed only interested in corrupting Matt into failing his. And now she's back, and apparently only interested in corrupting Matt into failing at life.

They shout at each other. Foggy throws harsh words at his best friend, and walks out, because right now, that's all he has left.

**Guilty as Sin**

There's a woman in Matt's bed.

There's an old man, who Karen thinks is probably blind, waving an apple around and a wickedly sharp knife. But all she can see is Matt standing by his bed, and the woman lying in it. She's pretty, and Karen remembers Foggy joking that Matt always got the hot girls.

She'd wanted to sit down and have a proper talk, try and find out what was really going on with him. Now she can barely choke out her message. She can barely look at him. All Karen wants is to run for the hills.

**Seven Minutes in Heaven**

Stan has been in a state of perpetual terror since the party and the theft of the ledger. He had not thought it possible to become more scared, yet with Daredevil's red eyes staring down at him, he finds it is. There is no doubting the threat in the vigilante's voice or the real power in his hands.

But somehow Stan knows that his life is not in danger, and perhaps this is his best opportunity at escape, and even to find Daniel. So he follows the man in the mask, hope outweighing fear for the first time in days.

**The Man in the Box**

He already knows how much the devil is bleeding into his life as an attorney, but this is the first time he's consciously let the two blend. He injects as much of Daredevil as he can into his voice, letting Fisk know the threat is real.

Fisk responds, but not verbally - physically. For a moment, Matt's at a disadvantage; lands a single ineffectual punch before Fisk's hands have him.

For a moment, he contemplates taking the man down, but he's here as the lawyer, a helpless blind man out of his depth. He stumbles out, vengeance in his heart.

**.380**

Karen Page is all kinds of messed up, Frank thinks, as he sips bad coffee and waits for the truck to circle the diner. She's smart enough to pick the right gun, she has the stubbornness to keep digging, the courage to stand up for what she thinks is right.

The truck goes past a second time. What he doesn't get, he muses, is why she's not honest with herself, about herself, and why she and the blind lawyer aren't sitting safe in their office making future plans.

The truck passes a third time. He tells Karen what to do.

**The Dark at the End of the Tunnel**

When it comes, it's a quick end, and there's little joy in his heart. Schoonover's taunts end with a single bullet. The journey to vengeance ends with a single bullet.

Dimly, Frank thinks that he should feel more, with this conclusion. That maybe he should go back outside and find Karen Page, who's stumbling around in the cold, injured and shocked. He knows she can look after herself though, and there's still work to be done. The Blacksmith is dead. Other criminals live, other families are dying. Frank has a _purpose_ now, like never before, and his war's just beginning.

**A Cold Day in Hell's Kitchen**

She pulls up her mask. He puts on his helmet. Outside, there is an army, but Matt has never felt more at peace with himself. For the first time in a long time he's sure he's making the right decision. Either they die out there (which is likely) or they live (which is possible). And if they live, they'll be together.

For a moment, he thinks of Foggy and Karen, but they'll be better off without him.

The army approaches. Beside him, he can feel Elektra's pulse pick up, and together they throw themselves into the fight. He is alive.


	3. Season 3

**SEASON 3**

**Resurrection**

Did I ever tell you 'bout the time I boxed a blind man? Nah, seriously, hear me out. Priest told me not to talk, but it was years ago, and he's dead and buried, God rest his soul.

Took me to the convent, down in the crypt among the dead men. There was this guy there – beat up, scars and bruises all over, couldn't see a thing.

If he hadn't been so beat up, he'd have won easy. Had me dancing around that place, until I got a lucky one in and that ended things. But boy, could he box.

**Please**

Father Lantom's used to seeing Matthew Murdock in church, but the Matthew Murdock standing just inside the doorway is not the same man. He's found some old jacket from somewhere, black glasses, and he's holding his cane, but there's no attempt to come in further than the doors.

Matt's words have often shaken Paul Lantom, but this? Matt's utter conviction that hurling himself headlong into darkness and violence is the only path left to him shakes him more than anything else. "What I do" has turned into "I'm Daredevil", and the priest isn't sure he can save this soul now.

**No Good Deed**

Matt is alive. Matt's alive. A living, breathing Matt is in the bar, metres from Foggy, and he doesn't know whether to laugh, cry or punch his not-dead-after-all best friend.

Matt's alive, but Matt looks dreadful. Foggy's used to seeing the bruises on his face, but he's never seen him look this downbeat, and what the heck is he wearing?

Matt's alive, but there's something wrong. Something missing. There's no spark, only dull hatred of Fisk, and apparently a stubborn belief that neither Foggy nor Karen need to care about the last months.

Matt's alive, but he's not really back.

**Blindsided**

The CCTV cameras from the jail are clear and unambiguous. It will be quick, but then Fisk will be rid of the lawyer-shaped thorn in his side. The drug will be painful, but it will kill Murdock.

Only – Murdock, blind since the age of nine, stops the attack and knocks out the nurse.

Fisk puts plan B, the contingency plan, into action.

Then he watches, with increasing astonishment and anger, as Murdock's slight figure battles its way through the corridors. And Wilson Fisk starts to wonder, stitching together the pieces. As Murdock staggers into the light, Fisk has his answers.

**The Perfect Game**

Matthew Murdock. Not seen for several months. No missing person's report. Compelling evidence from Fisk of wrongdoing. Pile of damp, bloody clothes on the floor of his loft – too nice a place for a defence attorney.

Karen Page. Tough-on-the-outside reporter. Smart. Nadeem tries. There's nothing to get out of her, though there's something she's not saying.

Franklin Nelson. Running for DA on an anti-Fisk ticket. Clever; there's not much Nadeem can get past him, and he is steadfast in the face of questions, but he too is hiding something.

Can a man who inspires such loyalty really be a criminal?

**The Devil You Know**

There is a man in the newsroom wearing his clothes. Matt can smell the substances used to make the suit – the polymer, the latex, the carbon. It brings back a rush of sensory memory, of how the suit felt when he was wearing it, the emotions pouring off the people he faced in it.

But the man in his suit is not him. The man in his suit can see, with deadly accuracy and lightening speed that are difficult to counter. For the first time, Matt gets a sense of what it's like to face Daredevil. He doesn't like it.

**Aftermath**

Journalists killed in their newsroom. It's the sort of thing they'd all read about, talked about, even occasionally joked about in the macabre manner a roomful of hacks will always adopt. When you spend your lives focusing on the serious, sometimes you have to laugh about it.

Ellison's not laughing now. He's lucky. His wound will heal. Others will not. Their bylines will never appear again on a _Bulletin_ page.

They'd championed Daredevil, supported his crusade, and it's their local hero who's turned murderer. The prospect of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen against his own makes Ellison's blood run cold.

**Upstairs/Downstairs**

He examines her. She's pale, but composed, though her eyes look red-rimmed from too much crying. He wonders what Ben Urich, what Mitch Ellison, had seen in this girl, who thinks she's clever, that she can surprise him.

Fisk lays his trap carefully, lulls her into cordial conversation, and springs it. She doesn't say anything – she is not disloyal – but the look on her face shows him he's right. Matthew Murdock _is _Daredevil.

But then she responds. She's careful too, keeping her voice low. She speaks of James Wesley. She speaks of his death. And Fisk's rage, kept corked, explodes.

**Revelations**

He detaches the skipping rope handles, untangles the ropes, stretches them out. Long enough, and tough enough for his needs.

He wraps automatically. It's been a while, but he's done this before. Wrap, check the tension. Flex the fingers. Wrap.

In his head, his father's voice echoes. In his head, Fisk's voice rings. He wishes they'd shut up, but they keep on talking at him. He wraps.

Fisk is all his focus. He aims some experimental punches at the air, imagining it's Fisk's head he's connecting with. Again, again, again. Snap the knee, snap the neck. He's ready; it's time.

**Karen**

The figure looks like the very Devil, silhouetted against the church entrance, and the sight sends a shiver up Karen's spine. It's not the first time she's faced death, but it's the first time she's been expecting it.

She takes a deep breath.

The man in black comes from nowhere, pure rage and power. _Matt_ comes from nowhere, punching and pummelling. He's not fast enough, and he's down as the Devil throws his club. Karen sees it coming in slow motion, braces for the impact.

The priest takes her death from her. Karen knows she must live, for Father Lantom.

**Reunion**

Before Nelson & Murdock, before Fisk, before Daredevil, they would sometimes come up to Matt's roof, with blankets and beers. Foggy would pretend he could see the stars, Matt would listen and laugh at his jokes. It was good.

Now here they all stand, broken and battered and bruised. The ropes wrapped around Matt's hands are bloodied, but his friend is in conciliatory mood. Foggy thinks he might almost hug Matt; their friendship has always been necessarily tactile and it's been too long.

They might never get back to where they were, but here on the roof it's a start.

**One Last Shot**

In the darkness of his empty house, Ray Nadeem feels strangely peaceful. He's told his story, three times in one day.

Once, in the grubby old boxing gym which Nelson and Murdock have been using as an office, to an increasingly astonished DA. Once, in the courtroom, with the silent jury hanging off his every word. Once, to his phone, with the knowledge that he never has to tell it again. He never has to do anything ever again.

Beer in hand, he wanders into the back yard. It's a clear, cold night, and there are worse places to die.

**A New Napkin**

He burns the ropes and the black top, covered as they are in the blood of his enemy. There will be time to replace them, but first it is time to remember his other life.

Suit, tie, red glasses: all things which belong to Matt Murdock, not Daredevil. Friends, too, and he's not denying that it feels good to walk down the street guided by Foggy, or to breathe in Karen's unique scent again.

He's not the same man he was, but he's willing to give this a chance – to give Nelson, Murdock & Page the chance they all deserve.


End file.
